Floor-covering.



PLO. N. PEDERSON. FLOOR COVERING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV; 8, 1913v 1 1 28, 1 82. Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

. ATTORNEY son, a citizen of UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTEE.

IlETTER C. N. PEDERSON, OF SUPERIOR, WISCONSIN.

FLOOR-COVERING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 9, 1915.

Application filed November 8, 1913. Serial No. 7 99,97'9.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PETTER C. N. FEDER- the United States, residing at Superior, in the countyof Douglas and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Floor-Covering, of which the'following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in floor coverings, and is'designed to provide a substantially permanent floor covermg producing a smooth unbroken surface particularly resistant to wear, and which is susceptible of preparation in various ways.v

In accordance with the present invention paper constitutes the'princ'ipal ingredient of the floor covering and the invention contemplates the preparation of the floor for the reception of paperlayers which afterward, or even in some instances before application to the floor, may be suitably protected or decorated where exposed to sight and wear.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following de-' various steps in the preparation of the floorand the application of the floor covering, the

proportions being greatly. exaggerated inthe illustration. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an overlapping joint between two pieces of paper used in the floor coverin Fig. 3 isia perspective view showing a cor covering prepared as in Fig. 1 with a superimposed covering of similar construction. Fig. {1 is-a perspective view showing another type of superimposed floor covering. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a somewhat different arrangement than in the other figures. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of an arrangement which may be employed in conjunction with the joints of the under paper layer.

Referring to the drawing there is indicated a small portion of a floor which may ing paper,

it is desired to cover, whether of wood or be relatively rough, is first sized with flour paste, indicated at 2, or other substances such as glue, varnish, paint, soap and the like may be employed, especially on old floors whichhavebeen variously pretreated, and then to this sized fiooring is applied a layer 3 of plaster of-Paris, or any other suitable substance for the purpose, the object being to fill up all irregularities in the floor and make thesurface level. or smooth, the joints whether filled with plaster of Paris or putty or the like, being sandpa pered if necessary. The flour paste surface is an adherent to which plaster of Paris and some other substances will stick.

Around the edges of the fioor there is produced a relatively narrow band 40f adhesive. A suitable type of pa er is provided, say, relatively heavy Mani a or buildbv other types of paper, cardboard, or the like, and such' paper is first prepared by dampening or wetting it and meeting edges are torn so as to produce a bevel. In the drawings, as best shown in Fig. 2, the paper is indicated' with adjoining edges 6 torn to a bevel and overlapping, thus producing a wide but smooth joint. In one type of floor covering two superposed layers 7 8 of paper are provided and the showing of Fig. 2 may be taken as that of the layer 7, although the layer 8 is substantially identical therewithso far as the joints are concerned. Wherever the joint 6 occurs in the paper layer 7 the overlapping edges forming the joint are united by a suitable adhesive, but before the paper is laid upon the floor a thin strip of paper 9 is laid upon the plaster of Parlsor other coating in position to underlie the joint in the paper 7, thus preventing the adhesive at the joint from sticking to the floor. The paper layer 7 when laid upon the floor is secured to the floor by the strip 4: of adhesive placed about the edges and further by tackslO or other suitable fastening devices along the edges of the floor next to the wall of the compartment where the floor covering is used. The tacks are employed to insure the holding of the paper at the .be taken as indicative of any flooring,which edges next to the wall so that dependence is.

not had wholly upon the adhesive.

It is not necessary that the thin paper- .concrete or the like. Such .floor, which may which, however, may be replaced i strip 9 be loose upon the floor except where touching the strip-4: of adhesive, since this layer may be joined to the preliminary smooth coating 3 by lines of adhes ve atthe long edges, as indicated at.11 lnig. 6, and then the upper surface of the strip 9 1s cov .ered with adhesive as indicated at 12, so that the paper layer 7iwhere ao1nt.t oc-. ours is united'to the paper. strip 9. This paper strip 9 may be laid in either direction across the flooring 1; The first layer 7 .of paper is ..d amp when placed 1n position andthe' second layer 8 is likewise dampbut is laid crosswiseorat; right anglesto the first'layer, being united thereto by a layer 13 of a. suitableadhesive. Experienceihas shown. that the relatively long .and narrow strips of paper-change in width .under;

changing Weather conditions, becoming wider when damp andnarrower when dry, without material. .-variations. in length, wherefore the crossing of the layers counteracts any shrinkage 'or expansion which might. occur under changing Weather condn. tions. The layers dry taut and then the paper layers are saturated with an o1 l such as linseed oil put on so heavythat 1t Wlll substantially penetrate thewhole, wherefore dampnesswill have no effect. The 011 also makes the fioor covering stronger and harder. When the oil is dried the floor s ready for painting, two coats 14 and 15-of paint being indicated in Fig. 1. For some purposes the floor describedgives'excellent results as has been demonstrated by long continued tests.

It takes considerable time for the 011 and paint layers to thoroughly dry, so that time may be saved and a more durable floor covering provided by preparin an additional paper layer 16 made up 0 strips secured together as before with smooth overlapping joints 6 corresponding to the layers 7 and 8- first applied to the floor. This third layer can be prepared in a shop where a dia ram of the floor to be covered may be 'lai out and the additional or supplementary paper layer maybe prepared in the same manner as described with respect to the floor itself, except thatno smoothing or filling coating is needed. After the supplementary layer or'covering has dried it is saturated with oil or varnish and painted or otherwise ornamented, which ornamentation may, if desired, simulatetile or parquet or other design, as indicated at 17 and isthen given a final coat of varnish. When dried it is removed from the shop floor and may be rolled up for shipment or storage until needed. In preparing the supplementary (dieting care is taken that the joints in the paper layer of which it is composed shall be at right angles'to the top layer already placed upon the floor to be covered, it being desirable that at least two paper layers be placed upon the flod'r to be covered before and t e coating being indicated at 18 in Fig. 3,.and

then one or more coats of varnish are-nap plied to the supplementary or secondary floor covering.

With such a flooring long tests. have shown that varnish or paints will last three or fourtimes as long as though applied directly to a wooden or other floor, considering both as being exposed to the same amount of wear. For this reason a floor prepared as herein described may be very cheaply kept in repair. The decorative and protective coating of varnish or paint wears so much better on paper than on wood because the paper is softer and more pliable than the wood.

Floors that are exposed to hardwear may have an additional top finish applied thereto, the under layers being the same as before either as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, the latter showing being simply that of more layers of paper than inFig. 1. For this purpose very heavy fiber is first placed in a bath of linseed oil or varnish so as to become thoroughly impregnated therewith and this oil or varnish may be eitherhot or cold, the heated oil or varnish penetrating the fiber better and faster than when cold, The fiber can be cut into-any desired shape to imitate tile or other flooring and when the impregnating oil or varnish is dried the fiber is glued or cemented to the top layer of the floor covering Such a fiber wear-surface is indicated at 19 in Fig. 4 and may be either scored to imitate tiling or may be actually out up into blocks of various shapes. The wear coating 19 which is usually given a coat of oil or varnish after being laid is particularly desirable for kitchens, halls and public buildings as it .produces a very durable and attractive looking flooring and will last for a long time without any treatment at all.

Again, it is not absolutely necessary to .plaster or putty or otherwise treat a rough or uneven floor to render it smooth for it can sometimes be covered with felt paper indicated at 20 in Fig. 5, although this does not preclude the application of the felt paper to the plaster or similar layer of Fig. 1 and other figures. The felt paper has the advantage of rendering the floor covering more pliable than one where it is omitted floor covering is found to wear better. 1

While the primary and secondary layers are indicated as together containing but three layers of paper, it will be understood that more layers may be used, as desired.

While in the foregoing description reference is made to floors only, it is to be understood that many of the features of the invention are applicable to inside and outside walls and roofs, and therefore the expression floor or the like as used in the claims is to be interpreted broadly enough to cover any surface or structure to which the invention is applicable.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a floor or the like, of a coveringtherefor consisting of a plurality of superposed paper layers cemented together and connected at the edge portions to the floor or the like, and a smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material. between the under paper layer and the floor or the like, the under layer of paper being free from union with thelastnamed layer except at the marginal portions.

2. The combination with a floor or the like, of a covering therefor consisting of a plurality of superposed paper layers cemented together and connected at the edge portions to the floor or the like, and a smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material between the under paper layer and the floor or the like, the under layer of paper being free from union with the lastnamed layer except at the marginal portions, and the paper layers being under contractional tension.

3. The combination with a floor or the like, of a covering therefor consisting of a plurality of superposed paper layers cemented together and connected at the edge portions .to the floor or the like, and a smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material between the under paper layer and the floor or the like, the under layer of paper being free from union with the last-named layer except at themarginal portions, and

said paper layers being impregnated with moisture repellent material.

a. A covering for a floor or the like, comprising a plurality of layers of paper united together and secured to the floor or the like under contractional tension, said layers of paper being impregnated with moisture repellent material, and a wear-surface applied to the covering.

5. The combination with a floor or the like, of a smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material applied directly to the floor or the'like, a plurality of layers of paper cemented together and applied to the first-named layer with the marginal portionsof the paper fastened to the floor or the, like, and the paper layers under contractional tension, and a protecting surfac-' ing for the paper layers.

6. The combination with a floor or the like, of a primary covering composed of a 7. The combination with a fioor or the like, of a primary covering composed of a plurality of layers of paper each made .up

of sheets of paper having the meeting edges beveled and overlapping and cemented together, thelayers of paper being also cemented together, a secondary or wear surface applied to the primary covering and a smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material' separating the primary covering from the floor or the' like.

8. The combination with a. floor or the like, of a primary covering composed of a plurality of layers of paper each made up of sheets of paper having the meeting edges beveled and overlapping and cemented together, the layers of paper being also cemented together, a secondary or wear-surface applied to the primary covering, and a smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material separating the primary covering from the floor or the like, the paper layers being impregnated with water repellent material and superposed upon the smoothing layer and united to the floor or the like at the margins, water repellent material impregnating the paper layers, and a wear surfacing superposed upon the paper layers.

10. The combination with a floor or the like, of a sizing applied thereto, a smoothing layer of suitable-z material applied to the sizing, a plurality of layers of paper superposed upon the smoothing layer and united to the floor or the like at the margins,'water repellent material impregnating the paper layers, and a wear surfacing super osed upon the paper layers, said wear sur acing comprising a layer of paper impregnated with moisture repellent material and cemented to the primary floor covering and in turn provided with a surfacing of wear resistant material.

11. The combination with a floor or the like, of a primary covering consisting of layers of paper cemented together and united at the margins to the floor or the like with an intermediate layer of yieldable ma terial between the paper layers and the floor or the like, moisture repellent material impregnating the paper layers, and a wear resistant surfacing applied to the primary covering. i

12. The combination with a floor or the like, of a primary covering therefor composed of a plurality oflayers of paper cemented together and secured at the margins 13. The combination with a floor or the- -like, of'a primary covering therefor composed of a plurality-of layers of paper be mented together and secured at the margins to the floor or the like with an interposed smoothing or leveling layer of suitable material between the floor or the like and the primary covering, said paper layers bein impregnated with water repellent materia and a secondary layer'of fiber impregnated with water repellent material and cemented to the primary coating, said-secondary covering being provided with a surfacing of .wear resistant material.

Imeeting edges beveled and overlapping and there cemented, the joints of one layer of the perpendicular to the joints ofthe next layer of paper, and a strip underlying each joint of the under layer of papery-said strip being united at the opposite edges to the floor or the like and the under layer of paper at the corresponding joint being there united to the underlying strip between the edges of the latter. a

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETTER G. N. PEDERSON. Witnesses:

R. I. TIPTON, SELMA ERICKSON.

paper running in a direction substantially 

